India boasts one of the world’s highest populations and can expect its athletes to perform admirably at this year’s Olympic Games.
At the turn of the millennium, Abhinav Bindra and Neeraj Chopra won gold medals for India at their respective Olympic events.
PV Sindhu captured silver in badminton at the 2020 Games while Sakshi Malik became India’s first woman wrestler to receive an Olympic medal.
| Athlete(s) | Medal | Event | Olympics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norman Pritchard | Silver | Men’s 200m | Paris 1900 |
| Norman Pritchard | Silver | Men’s 200m hurdles | Paris 1900 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Gold | Men’s Hockey | Amsterdam 1928 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Gold | Men’s Hockey | Los Angeles 1932 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Gold | Men’s Hockey | Berlin 1936 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Gold | Men’s Hockey | London 1948 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Gold | Men’s Hockey | Helsinki 1952 |
| KD Jadhav | Bronze | Men’s Bantamweight Wrestling | Helsinki 1952 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Gold | Men’s Hockey | Melbourne 1956 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Silver | Men’s Hockey | Rome 1960 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Gold | Men’s Hockey | Tokyo 1964 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Bronze | Men’s Hockey | Mexico City 1968 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Bronze | Men’s Hockey | Munich 1972 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Gold | Men’s Hockey | Moscow 1980 |
| Leander Paes | Bronze | Men’s Singles Tennis | Atlanta 1996 |
| Karnam Malleswari | Bronze | Women’s 54kg Weightlifting | Sydney 2000 |
| Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore | Silver | Men’s Double Trap Shooting | Athens 2004 |
| Abhinav Bindra | Gold | Men’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting | Beijing 2008 |
| Vijender Singh | Bronze | Men’s Middleweight Boxing | Beijing 2008 |
| Sushil Kumar | Bronze | Men’s 66kg Wrestling | Beijing 2008 |
| Sushil Kumar | Silver | Men’s 66kg Wrestling | London 2012 |
| Vijay Kumar | Silver | Men’s 25m Rapid Pistol Shooting | London 2012 |
| Saina Nehwal | Bronze | Women’s Singles Badminton | London 2012 |
| Mary Kom | Bronze | Women’s Flyweight Boxing | London 2012 |
| Yogeshwar Dutt | Bronze | Men’s 60kg Wrestling | London 2012 |
| Gagan Narang | Bronze | Men’s 10m Air Rifle Shooting | London 2012 |
| PV Sindhu | Silver | Women’s Singles Badminton | Rio 2016 |
| Sakshi Malik | Bronze | Women’s 58kg Wrestling | Rio 2016 |
| Mirabai Chanu | Silver | Women’s 49kg Weightlifting | Tokyo 2020 |
| Lovlina Borgohain | Bronze | Women’s Welterweight Boxing | Tokyo 2020 |
| PV Sindhu | Bronze | Women’s Singles Badminton | Tokyo 2020 |
| Ravi Kumar Dahiya | Silver | Men’s 57kg Wrestling | Tokyo 2020 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Bronze | Men’s Hockey | Tokyo 2020 |
| Bajrang Punia | Bronze | Men’s 65kg Wrestling | Tokyo 2020 |
| Neeraj Chopra | Gold | Men’s Javelin Throw | Tokyo 2020 |
| Manu Bhaker | Bronze | Women’s 10m Air Pistol Shooting | Paris 2024 |
| Manu Bhaker & Sarabjot Singh | Bronze | Mixed Team 10m Air Pistol Shooting | Paris 2024 |
| Swapnil Kusale | Bronze | Men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions Shooting | Paris 2024 |
| Indian Hockey Team | Bronze | Men’s Hockey | Paris 2024 |
| Neeraj Chopra | Silver | Men’s Javelin Throw | Paris 2024 |
| Aman Sehrawat | Bronze | Men’s 57kg Wrestling | Paris 2024 |
Abhinav Bindra
Abhinav Bindra’s victory at the 2008 Olympics wasn’t just personal; it also represented India breaking through an athletic barrier that had hindered them for decades compared to traditional Olympic powerhouses such as America and China. Many within India hoped it marked a turning point and began competing against these traditional powers again for Olympic medals in future Olympic competitions.
But 16 years, four Summer Games, and one additional gold medal later, India remains struggling to realize its Olympic potential. Widespread poverty and malnutrition continue to prevent millions of young Indians from realizing their athletic dreams; furthermore, New Delhi has failed to develop an adequate national training program comparable to those found among traditional Olympic powerhouses such as United States or China.
Though India faces considerable obstacles, recent years have shown some promising signs of progress. PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik both won silver medals in badminton at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games; Mary Kom won a bronze in boxing at Tokyo 2020; Neeraj Chopra earned silver in javelin.
While these successes have brought renewed optimism to India, its potential has yet to be realized. At present, India ranks 71st on the medal table behind North Korea, Cuba and Saint Lucia — three countries each of which possess populations below 1.4 million people.
Experts cite India’s limited funding for athletes as one of the reasons they struggle at the Olympics. New Delhi sends far fewer athletes and coaches to Paris than top teams like the US with over 600 competing. Although spending has increased on sports in recent years, critics still argue it doesn’t come close to meeting India’s full Olympic potential.
Vijender Singh
India has had a relatively disappointing Olympic track record over the years, winning few medals at these competitions. However, since Athens 2004, when Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won silver for shooting at Athens 2004, individual events such as shooting have experienced unprecedented growth; since then six more medals have been won at individual events with Neeraj Chopra taking bronze at Tokyo 2020 being most recent success story for Indian athletes. These achievements have set an incredibly high bar for future Indian Olympians.
This year’s Olympic games were an uneven experience for India, as many top players failed to live up to expectations. Vijender Singh lost his bronze medal fight to Anthony Ogogo from England despite leading 3-0 on points; later on the referee issued Ogogo with two penalty points for holding his opponent, giving Ogogo the victory and prompting an appeal by India but without success.
Boxing may have disappointed, but other athletes made up for its absence with remarkable performances. The men’s hockey team duplicated its Tokyo 2020 success by winning bronze at Paris while Vinesh Phogat became history when she qualified for her first final since independence (though was later disqualified for failing to meet weight class criteria).
Other athletes also performed admirably, including Vishnu Saravanan’s 18th-place finish in the men’s laser event and Aditi Ashok’s fifth place finish in women’s 400m hurdles. Unfortunately, Manu Bhaker went home empty-handed after missing out on winning bronze in women’s 50kg freestyle wrestling.
While India has enjoyed remarkable Olympic performances, many experts still feel it has not fully unleashed its full potential. Widespread poverty and malnourishment remain major barriers to participation for millions of young people; underfunding in elite sport remains a problem; yet if India could make significant investments into its sporting infrastructure and nurture top talent it could soon become the world’s top sports powerhouse – currently holding just one silver and five bronze medals (compared with what one would expect of 1.4 billion population nations like its neighbor Pakistan), fans at home may find this disappointingly disappointing;
Sushil Kumar
India may not have performed to expectations at the Paris Olympic Games, but still won 10 medals – an outstanding accomplishment and indicative of India’s Olympic potential; an indicator that shows why so many Indians dream of joining sport’s ranks one day! But India remains far from reaching its full potential on an Olympic stage; perhaps only time can reveal its true capabilities! With nearly 1.5 billion people and vast potential still untapped.
Indian athletes have shown incredible resilience and determination despite hardship, including injuries. India’s top performers have inspired fans worldwide to support them at Paris and beyond – changing perceptions about India’s Olympic legacy which had previously been marred by poor showings in recent times.
Abhinav Bindra and Vijender Singh’s gold and silver medal performances in shooting and boxing marked an historic first for India – previously never having won one medal at these events in its 124 year history. Additionally, men’s hockey team made history by winning an unprecedented 13th medal at Paris.
Olympic Games have always been an important source of national pride and can galvanize a people. Nations such as the US and Soviet Union often view sports as part of their national identity and an avenue to show their talent and achieve glory.
This year’s Olympics has been marred by allegations of doping and corruption. One major source of contention arose after Olympic gold-medallist Mary Kom was stripped of her title after testing positive for a banned substance; subsequent investigation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) determined she failed to adhere to rules when reporting her results.
Since then, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suspended six members of the sport governing body; several others were placed on probation. Meanwhile, this doping scandal has caused significant sponsorship cuts and viewership losses across sports broadcasters.
Sports fans wore black shirts and caps as a show of solidarity for India’s athletes competing in Paris. Though India did not reach expectations overall, its athletes can take comfort knowing they received overwhelming support from fans on social media.
Tulika Maan
The Olympic Games is an international sporting event held every four years and scheduled for Paris 2024. India first joined in 1900 and since then have earned 41 medals, with Abhinav Bindra winning 15 golds and Vijender Singh 10 bronze medals (ranked 71st). India remains below nations with much smaller populations on the medal table; however, Indian athletes have shown much promise at recent Olympic Games; Neeraj Chopra won silver – becoming India’s most accomplished individual Olympian; wrestler Aman Sehrawat became youngest ever Indian medalist; both feats making history and becoming iconic stars within India itself!
Shooter Manu Bhaker provides further cause for optimism at Rio. She won two bronzes at the Olympics and became the first female Indian ever to capture two medals at a single Olympics, beating South Korean’s Oh Ye Jin and Lee Wonho by just 0.01 of an inch in 10m air pistol mixed team competition. Furthermore, Gagan Narang rose up the rankings to take bronze in 50m Rifle 3P event, creating one of the greatest comeback stories after his disappointing showing at Tokyo 2020.
India has long had untapped Olympic potential, yet some athletes have come close to realising it. India’s judokas stand out amongst these athletes; Tulika Maan who won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games has earned herself a continental quota spot for Paris Olympic and hopes to secure her own medal in women’s +78kg category.
Men’s hockey team India also made history at Rio, winning its 13th medal – setting an all-time Olympic record! Harmanpreet Singh scored to put India in the lead during the final, while PR Sreejesh came through late with an important intervention that sealed its victory. Their success is evidence of India’s increasing recognition of sports’ soft power potential; their revamped Target Olympic Podium Scheme provides training, international competitions and funds for developing sports infrastructure at state governments – contributing to an incredible surge in sporting fortunes that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi called athletes himself to congratulate them upon their success!
